POKRZYWNICKIANA
A site dedicated to researching szlachta families of the name Pokrzywnicki, especially the von Pokrzywnicki (since 1775 also: von Bock) family that came to East Prussia in about 1650.
If you have any questions, corrections or addenda, please do contact the author, Nikolai von Pock (olim Pokrzywnicki), at: pokrzywnickiana@yahoo.de (in English, auf Deutsch, en français)
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last revision: June 27, 2004


Habent sua fata sigilla ... The Pokrzywnicki (Bock) family’s coat of arms a research note

One can see here that the Prussian family Pokrzywnicki (Bock) is a branch of the Mazovian Pokrzywnicki h. Jastrzembiec family (for the latter cf. Uruski, Seweryn hr.: Rodzina – Herbarz szlachty polskiej. Warszawa 1904-38; vol. 14 (1917) pp. 177-178).

The seals depicted here were all found as wax impressions on archived treaties or testaments of the persons mentioned with them. They show that the Prussian Pokrzywnicki changed their coat of arms in the 18th century to a form that has later been identified either as “Slepowron odmiana herb” (i.e. a variation of the coat of arms Slepowron) or as (a variation of) the coat of arms Lubicz.

My argument for Jastrzembiec to be the original coat of arms of this family clearly depends on Stanislaus Pokrzywnicki being right in using it. I would think that the probability of him knowing his family’s historically correct coat of arms is higher than that of the other individuals, for he lived earlier and in closer contact to the family’s Polish roots.

The correct Polish writing for the names of the coats of arms is:


The wax impressions of seals I found show the following coats of arms:
 
Picture & identification by Polish name Year Seal used by

coat of arms Jastrzembiec
1718 Stanislaus de Pokrzywnicki (1665-1735), Royal Polish Lieutenant

„Slepowron odmiana herb“ – 
variation of coat of arms Slepowron
1810 Johann Michael von Bock (1742-1812), Royal Prussian major general

„Slepowron odmiana herb“
1801 Adam von Bock (1752-1810), Royal Prussian major

„Slepowron odmiana herb“
1805
 



c.1800
Franz von Bock und Pokrzywnicki (1750-1830), Royal Prussian major
 



Two seals of the 18th century earlier in the possession of Paul Bock von Pokrzywnicki (1856-1928), probably from his grandfather Johann Andreas von Pokrzywnicki (1766-1831)

 

Here is how those persons are related:


© 2004 Nikolai v. Pock